American journal of public health最新文献

Objectives. To provide a legal epidemiology review of state-level policies that regulate the direct delivery of recreational and medical cannabis in the United States. Methods. We conducted a comprehensive review to identify all relevant policies as of July 1, 2024. Specifically, we developed a coding scheme to capture laws governing (1) direct delivery of recreational cannabis, (2) licensing for direct delivery of recreational cannabis, (3) direct delivery of medical cannabis to qualifying patients, and (4) medical cannabis delivery solely from caregivers to qualified patients. Results. Fourteen states authorized the direct delivery of recreational cannabis to adults. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia permitted the direct delivery of medical cannabis to qualifying patients. Twelve states allowed the delivery of medical cannabis to patients exclusively through caregivers. There were numerous variations in the licensing and authorization of recreational and medical cannabis delivery. Conclusions. States varied in how the delivery of cannabis was regulated. Public Health Implications. A comprehensive review of state-level policies on cannabis delivery highlights the diverse approaches and their implications for recreational and medical cannabis access. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print November 14, 2024:e1-e13. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307874).

Without perspectives of low-wage workers in studies of worker health and well-being, researchers cannot comprehensively assess occupational health and health equity impacts of workplace exposures and interventions. Researchers and practitioners have noted particular challenges in engaging low-wage workers in worksite-based health survey research, yet little scholarship has described strategies for improving their engagement and response rates. To fill this gap, we present case examples from 5 occupational studies conducted between 2020 and 2024 in industries including health care, food service, and fulfillment centers. For each case, we describe how we identified barriers to worker engagement in surveys, explain specific strategies we used to address those barriers, and assess the effectiveness of these actions. Then, summarizing across case examples, we offer practical recommendations to researchers surveying low-wage populations, highlighting that high-touch recruitment, building trust with workers and managers, and obtaining manager support to take surveys during work time (for worksite-based studies) are critical for obtaining reliable, representative data. Our work contributes to broader discussions on improving survey response rates in vulnerable worker populations and aims to support future researchers undertaking similar efforts. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print November 14, 2024:e1-e8. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307875).

Objectives. To examine whether, through interactions with preexisting socioeconomic status vulnerabilities, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated exposure to firearm violence among communities with a legacy of redlining (i.e., grading the creditworthiness of neighborhoods based on their sociodemographic composition). Methods. We used an exogenous population threshold whereby the Home Owners Loan Corporation graded neighborhoods only in US cities with populations of more than 40 000 and used a difference-in-difference strategy to examine the evolution of fatal firearm incidents between 2017 and October 2022. Results. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, fatal firearm violence increased significantly in low-graded neighborhoods that the Home Owners Loan Corporation had deemed risky for mortgage lending. The effect held consistently across various model specifications. Conclusions. Social and environmental constructs can interact in a complex manner to compound disadvantage and exacerbate the consequences of negative shocks for marginalized communities. Public Health Implications. Home Owners Loan Corporation policies contributed to widening racial disparities in firearm violence, highlighting the need for reinvestment in marginalized communities to keep future shocks from exacerbating vulnerability to adverse outcomes. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print November 7, 2024:e1-e9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307891).

Objectives. To estimate changes in medical cannabis patient activity after Canada's recreational cannabis legalization. Methods. I used linear regressions of interrupted times series models to analyze medical cannabis patient registrations per 10 000 residents, purchases per 100 registrations, and packages per purchase in Canada's 10 provinces between April 2017 and December 2022. I tested relationships between the recreational law's passage in June 2018, recreational sales starting in October 2018, and the arrival of edibles and vapes in December 2019. Results. Medical patient registrations initially increased; they slowed after the law passed and started decreasing after edibles became available. Medical purchasing frequencies initially decreased; they decreased further in proportion to recreational sales but stabilized after edibles became available. Medical purchase sizes were initially stable; they began increasing after edibles became available. Conclusions. Canada saw substantial decreases in medical cannabis patient registrations, but the remaining patients stabilized their purchasing frequencies and increased their purchase sizes. Public Health Implications. Other countries might see significant changes in patient usage of their medical cannabis systems after nationwide recreational cannabis legalization. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S8):S673-S680. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307721).

Objectives. To document the prevalence of long COVID among a sample of survey respondents with long-term disabilities that existed before 2020 and to compare the prevalence among this group with that among the general population. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study using data from the 2022 National Survey on Health and Disability (n = 2262) and comparative data for the general population from the federal Household Pulse Survey (HPS). Results. The prevalence of long COVID was higher among people with preexisting disabilities than in the general population (40.6% vs 18.9%). Conclusions. People with preexisting disabilities experienced and continue to experience increased exposure to COVID-19 and barriers to accessing health care, COVID-19 vaccines, and COVID-19 tests. These barriers, combined with long-standing health disparities in this population, may have contributed to the greater prevalence of long COVID among people with disabilities. Public Health Implications. The needs of people with disabilities must be centered in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(11):1261-1264. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307794).

We surveyed (September 9-17, 2021) students, staff, and faculty at the University of Minnesota, a large, highly vaccinated university, to evaluate whether the COVID-19 vaccine mandate increased self-reported vaccine uptake. Vaccine mandates have the potential to improve public health but should consider the context of implementation and costs associated with infringements on personal choice. Policymakers need to be equipped with data to inform decisions about vaccine mandates in light of contextual factors and potential backlash affecting public health interventions. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(11):1222-1227. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307804).